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An injury or two to the right players could cripple Dallas’ playoff aspirations.
By John Owning
9:00 AM on Jun 16, 2021
The Football Injury Gods (FIG) didn’t treat the Dallas Cowboys favorably in 2020, as the team was hit with a rash of injuries on both sides of the ball that made it extremely difficult to pick up victories.
In fact, Pro Football Focus just released a data study that stated the 2020 Cowboys and 2020 49ers were “the two most injury-stricken teams in our [PFF’s] entire dataset,” which dates back to 2012. Luckily, the data study also concluded that the team struck with the most injuries per year is random from year-to-year, so there’s a very good chance that the FIGs treat Dallas more favorably in 2021.
Still, even if the Cowboys are hit with fewer injuries overall, an injury or two to the right players and it could still cripple Dallas’ playoff aspirations.
Obviously, Dak Prescott is the No. 1 player the Cowboys can’t afford to lose to injury, that’s easy. The QB position is, by far, the most valuable position in football, and Prescott is a very good one.
Outside of Prescott, however, it gets a little more interesting, given the depth, or lack thereof, the Cowboys have behind some of its best players. Therefore, let’s dive into one-non QB on offense and defense the Cowboys can’t afford to lose.
DeMarcus Lawrence, EDGE
Losing DeMarcus Lawrence, the defense’s one elite talent, would be catastrophic for the Cowboys defense.
Lawrence’s down-to-down impact would be tough to overcome, as he’s one of the few edge defenders who can disrupt the game no matter if it’s run or pass.
As a pass-rusher, Lawrence’s hand technique and footwork are among the best in the league, and he pairs it with length, strength and notable quickness, making life hell on opposing offensive tackles. If Dallas isn’t showing blitz, offenses will often slide the protection toward Lawrence as well, which makes his margins for success smaller than if he had a true one-on-one. Even though Dallas, historically, has made it easy for opposing offenses by aligning DeMarcus Lawrence predominantly at one spot (left defensive end), opposing pass protections must account for him on every snap.
Against the run, Lawrence is a five-tool player who is capable of making a play regardless of which type of run concept is called, making it difficult for offensive coordinators to scheme him out of a game. If the run is to the opposite side, Lawrence has the athleticism and hustle to chase it down from behind. If it’s run at him, Lawrence is outstanding at defeating blocks and making stops. He can stack and shed blocks at the point of attack using length, strength and technique, and he can penetrate and create havoc in the backfield. Pullers? No problem.
Lawrence is the type of defender who not only makes an impact with his play but also with the attention he demands from opposing offenses. His mere presence makes everyone else’s job easier on defense, as he frequently gets double-teamed and creates production for his teammates. Even when he doesn’t make the play, he’s often the root of it.
With Lawrence out, it would allow opposing offenses to send attention Randy Gregory’s way, which would significantly help to nullify Dallas’ only remaining “proven” pass-rush threat. In turn, to generate any semblance of a pass rush, Dan Quinn would likely be forced to blitz at a higher rate, which puts even more pressure on the secondary, as it takes a player out of coverage and turns him into a pass rusher.
On a defense devoid of blue-chip talent, an extended Lawrence absence would create a domino effect that would make it exceedingly tough for Dan Quinn to scrape together competent defense.
Zack Martin, OG
For the longest time, the one offensive lineman the Cowboys couldn’t afford to lose to injury was Tyron Smith, and it sucked that he was most often the offensive lineman Dallas did lose (even when it was just for a couple games pre-2020).
However, I’m going to give the Cowboys front office some credit here, as I believe they finally picked up a more-than-capable swing offensive tackle when they signed Ty Nsekhe, whose presence should soften the blow of losing Smith (or La’el Collins) enough that Dallas can still be successful on offense.
Zack Martin has been Dallas’ best offensive lineman for a few years now, but that move now makes him the most valuable one as well.
Like most elite offensive guards, Martin’s impact spans across both run and pass.
Martin has yet to have a season where he allows more than 21 pressures and has allowed one or no sacks in every season but two. His presence makes life much easier on the tackle next to him, as he’s outstanding at providing help on inside moves and is phenomenal at identifying and passing off stunts.
Martin is excellent regardless of play-call or type. He has the athleticism to make blocks in space, the short-area quickness to reach and cut-off defenders, and the strength the displace defensive linemen at the point-of-attack — all of which is tied together by his elite and consistent technique.
Lost in the sauce of a disappointing season was Zack Martin’s Herculean effort to keep Dallas’ offensive line competent by himself before an injury ended his season early. Ever since he entered the league, Martin has established himself as the NFL’s premier offensive guard, as no other can match Martin’s week-to-week consistency, but he also proved that he’s a darn good offensive tackle as well, as he gave up zero pressures and was excellent as a run blocker across two games (though he left the second early with the calf injury that derailed his season) he started at right tackle.
Therefore, if the Cowboys sustain a rash of injuries to the offensive tackle position again, Martin is someone who can flex out to tackle and still play at a high level, which is extremely valuable with the limited roster size on gameday.
Martin’s value is also boosted by the lack of depth behind him on the interior offensive line. Connor McGovern is Martin’s primary backup, but we saw last year how big of a step down it is from Martin to McGovern when the latter filled in last year — it’s big. Outside of McGovern, Brandon Knight is the only other backup interior offensive lineman with any real game experience, but that came at offensive tackle.
Losing Martin would not only make Dallas’ interior offensive line a serious weakness worth exploiting for opposing offenses, which would make it much tougher to get things going on the ground while also ramping up the pressure Prescott would see in his face.
In the past, Martin developed a near Superhuman-like reputation for his consistency and ability to avoid (or just toughen out) serious injuries that would force him to miss action. Nonetheless, last year’s calf injury proves that Martin is, in fact, mortal, making the unfortunate scenario of losing Martin feel like an actual possibility — an uneasy feeling, indeed.
By John Owning
9:00 AM on Jun 16, 2021
The Football Injury Gods (FIG) didn’t treat the Dallas Cowboys favorably in 2020, as the team was hit with a rash of injuries on both sides of the ball that made it extremely difficult to pick up victories.
In fact, Pro Football Focus just released a data study that stated the 2020 Cowboys and 2020 49ers were “the two most injury-stricken teams in our [PFF’s] entire dataset,” which dates back to 2012. Luckily, the data study also concluded that the team struck with the most injuries per year is random from year-to-year, so there’s a very good chance that the FIGs treat Dallas more favorably in 2021.
Still, even if the Cowboys are hit with fewer injuries overall, an injury or two to the right players and it could still cripple Dallas’ playoff aspirations.
Obviously, Dak Prescott is the No. 1 player the Cowboys can’t afford to lose to injury, that’s easy. The QB position is, by far, the most valuable position in football, and Prescott is a very good one.
Outside of Prescott, however, it gets a little more interesting, given the depth, or lack thereof, the Cowboys have behind some of its best players. Therefore, let’s dive into one-non QB on offense and defense the Cowboys can’t afford to lose.
DeMarcus Lawrence, EDGE
Losing DeMarcus Lawrence, the defense’s one elite talent, would be catastrophic for the Cowboys defense.
Lawrence’s down-to-down impact would be tough to overcome, as he’s one of the few edge defenders who can disrupt the game no matter if it’s run or pass.
As a pass-rusher, Lawrence’s hand technique and footwork are among the best in the league, and he pairs it with length, strength and notable quickness, making life hell on opposing offensive tackles. If Dallas isn’t showing blitz, offenses will often slide the protection toward Lawrence as well, which makes his margins for success smaller than if he had a true one-on-one. Even though Dallas, historically, has made it easy for opposing offenses by aligning DeMarcus Lawrence predominantly at one spot (left defensive end), opposing pass protections must account for him on every snap.
Against the run, Lawrence is a five-tool player who is capable of making a play regardless of which type of run concept is called, making it difficult for offensive coordinators to scheme him out of a game. If the run is to the opposite side, Lawrence has the athleticism and hustle to chase it down from behind. If it’s run at him, Lawrence is outstanding at defeating blocks and making stops. He can stack and shed blocks at the point of attack using length, strength and technique, and he can penetrate and create havoc in the backfield. Pullers? No problem.
Lawrence is the type of defender who not only makes an impact with his play but also with the attention he demands from opposing offenses. His mere presence makes everyone else’s job easier on defense, as he frequently gets double-teamed and creates production for his teammates. Even when he doesn’t make the play, he’s often the root of it.
With Lawrence out, it would allow opposing offenses to send attention Randy Gregory’s way, which would significantly help to nullify Dallas’ only remaining “proven” pass-rush threat. In turn, to generate any semblance of a pass rush, Dan Quinn would likely be forced to blitz at a higher rate, which puts even more pressure on the secondary, as it takes a player out of coverage and turns him into a pass rusher.
On a defense devoid of blue-chip talent, an extended Lawrence absence would create a domino effect that would make it exceedingly tough for Dan Quinn to scrape together competent defense.
Zack Martin, OG
For the longest time, the one offensive lineman the Cowboys couldn’t afford to lose to injury was Tyron Smith, and it sucked that he was most often the offensive lineman Dallas did lose (even when it was just for a couple games pre-2020).
However, I’m going to give the Cowboys front office some credit here, as I believe they finally picked up a more-than-capable swing offensive tackle when they signed Ty Nsekhe, whose presence should soften the blow of losing Smith (or La’el Collins) enough that Dallas can still be successful on offense.
Zack Martin has been Dallas’ best offensive lineman for a few years now, but that move now makes him the most valuable one as well.
Like most elite offensive guards, Martin’s impact spans across both run and pass.
Martin has yet to have a season where he allows more than 21 pressures and has allowed one or no sacks in every season but two. His presence makes life much easier on the tackle next to him, as he’s outstanding at providing help on inside moves and is phenomenal at identifying and passing off stunts.
Martin is excellent regardless of play-call or type. He has the athleticism to make blocks in space, the short-area quickness to reach and cut-off defenders, and the strength the displace defensive linemen at the point-of-attack — all of which is tied together by his elite and consistent technique.
Lost in the sauce of a disappointing season was Zack Martin’s Herculean effort to keep Dallas’ offensive line competent by himself before an injury ended his season early. Ever since he entered the league, Martin has established himself as the NFL’s premier offensive guard, as no other can match Martin’s week-to-week consistency, but he also proved that he’s a darn good offensive tackle as well, as he gave up zero pressures and was excellent as a run blocker across two games (though he left the second early with the calf injury that derailed his season) he started at right tackle.
Therefore, if the Cowboys sustain a rash of injuries to the offensive tackle position again, Martin is someone who can flex out to tackle and still play at a high level, which is extremely valuable with the limited roster size on gameday.
Martin’s value is also boosted by the lack of depth behind him on the interior offensive line. Connor McGovern is Martin’s primary backup, but we saw last year how big of a step down it is from Martin to McGovern when the latter filled in last year — it’s big. Outside of McGovern, Brandon Knight is the only other backup interior offensive lineman with any real game experience, but that came at offensive tackle.
Losing Martin would not only make Dallas’ interior offensive line a serious weakness worth exploiting for opposing offenses, which would make it much tougher to get things going on the ground while also ramping up the pressure Prescott would see in his face.
In the past, Martin developed a near Superhuman-like reputation for his consistency and ability to avoid (or just toughen out) serious injuries that would force him to miss action. Nonetheless, last year’s calf injury proves that Martin is, in fact, mortal, making the unfortunate scenario of losing Martin feel like an actual possibility — an uneasy feeling, indeed.
